Medicare's Coverage of Off-Label Cancer Treatments Mixed

Medicare's decision to pay for unapproved drugs to treat cancer is being met with both praise and criticism.

Cancer doctors demanded the move because it enables cancer patients to receive the most up-to-date care and, in some cases, these off-label treatments may represent a patient's last hope, The New York Times reported.

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Supporters of the decision, announced late last year, also say it will improve understanding of which treatments work against various types of cancer.

However, critics contend the use of drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration may waste money and needlessly expose cancer patients to side effects without offering them any benefits.

A cost analysis of the changes was canceled by Medicare, so it's difficult to determine how much the new policy will add to the $2.4 billion Medicare paid in 2007 for cancer drugs, the Times reported.

An eye opening survey recently found retirees are more prone to spend time finding the best deal for buying groceries than they do choosing health insurance. Shopping for insurance, for some, is worse than you might imagine according to a representative sampling survey of Medicare recipients.

The Report to Congress on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Graduate Nurse Education Demonstration has just been released documenting health care workforce gains addressing the nation’s shortage of primary care.

If you live in the United States you must understand our current medical system and I do not mean the Affordable Care Act, but simply how Big Pharma works and why Americans are angry and why we should all be fighting for healthcare reform.

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The U.S. House of Representatives today voted 217–213 to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The bill repeals and replaces the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, which has been in effect since 2010. What are some of the benefits of repealing Obamacare? Heartland Institute experts discuss how this bill benefits nation's spending and free market.

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